Bakelite, the first modern plastic, was invented in 1907. It led to the creation
of synthetic polymers which are compounds made up of repeating units or monomers.
Plastics have transformed everyday life and are one of the biggest chemical success stories of
the 20th century. But their versatility has consequences. Annual production of plastics
has now crossed over 300 million tonnes of which, less than 10% is recycled. In under a century,
we have created a destructive economy of single use plastics that is choking the planet.
One promising solution to plastic pollution is mycelium or mushroom packaging. It is made of 2
ingredients: mushrooms and hemp. Mycelium is the root of mushrooms. It is the underground
network of very durable, thread-like filaments called hyphae. It acts like a biological binder
or glue that holds the product together. It is mixed with agricultural waste like wood chips,
oat hulls, cotton burrs or hemp hurds. Hurd is the interior spongy part of the hemp plant,
protected by the outside bast fiber. One of the largest mushroom packaging
manufacturers in the world is Ecovative Design, a New York based biotech company
founded in 2006. They sent me these samples of their product. Their manufacturing process is
pretty straight forward. Their designers create a
3D CAD model of custom packaging A CNC machine routes the design into MDF.
Plastic trays are thermoformed around the MDF pieces. They use PETG or Polyethylene
terephthalate glycol which can be reused and recycled. Yes, it’s ironic to use plastic trays,
but this proves how difficult it is to eliminate plastic from our lives.
The tray is filled with their proprietary hemp hurd and mycelium blend.
It is allowed to grow for 4 days in a controlled environment with regulated temperatures, airflow,
CO2 and humidity levels. Mycelium strands quickly fill the empty spaces in the mold.
In just 7 days, the form is complete. It is popped out of tray and allowed
to continue growing for 2 more days to create a velvety layer of overgrowth
The packaging is then heat treated to dry out, kill spores and stop the growth process
Ecovative Design has produced 5 million pounds of mushroom packaging in the past
few years. They have licensed their formula to companies in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Companies like IKEA, Dell and Seedlip have committed to using mushroom packaging. This
material can last for 30 years in dry, temperature controlled indoor environments. It is also 100%
biodegradable and a nutrient for soils and plants. When broken down into 1 cubic centimeter pieces,
it will compost in just 45 days. In the ocean, it will compost in 180 days.
Architects and engineers around the world have been experimenting with mushroom bricks.
In 2014, a 40 ft or 12 meter high tower was built in New York by The Living,
an architectural design studio, Ecovative and Arup. 10,000 bricks made of mycelium and corn
stalks were stacked to form 3 interwoven chimneys. A wood scaffold on the inside
provided additional support. It could resist wind gusts up to 65 mph. This temporary installation
was taken down in 3 months and the mushroom bricks were composted. In 2019, a drum-shaped
temporary pavilion was designed in the Netherlands. It was composed of a timber frame,
actively growing mushroom wall panels and seating made of agricultural waste.
Another potentially good use of mushroom bricks is for World Expos and Olympic pavilions.
Countries spend billions hosting these events and go into debt that some never recover from.
Many Olympic villages turn into abandoned ghost towns in just a few years. Using cheap,
biodegradable materials can be a sustainable and visually attractive alternative.
Biohm, a UK based startup, has developed a mycelium insulation panel that outperforms
traditional insulation like rockwool and fiberglass in terms of thermal capacity,
fire resistance and acoustic performance. I’m concerned about the lifespan of this product.
20 years down the line, are you expected to rip out the drywall and install new insulation?
That would be a waste of time and money. In addition to packaging materials,
Ecovative is also experimenting with mycelium leather that is grown in 9 days
Insulating foam for jackets, glove liners, backpack
straps and footwear skin care like face masks, makeup sponges,
toe spacers, eye masks and slippers Bacon and other plant-based meat
Coffins and urns
They even sell Grow-it-Yourself material for $13 and forms to make planters, bricks and tiles.
Now let’s discuss the advantages, disadvantages and myths surrounding this new technology.
Mushroom packaging and other mycelium based products are non-toxic and free of VOCs and
formaldehydes. This product consumes a tenth of the energy of foam, and emits an eighth of
the amount of greenhouse gases. It is Cradle to Cradle Gold certified. It is an excellent example
of a sustainable, circular economy product. It is quite spongy so it can protect fragile materials
just as well as petroleum-based foam. Ecovative claims that it is a cost, time and performance
competitive solution to plastic packaging. Mushroom Packaging is naturally hydrophobic or
water resistant. Water droplets roll right off and do not soak through. This makes it an ideal
material for packing cold items and ice packs that can melt. However, prolonged exposure to
moisture and high humidity will lead to mold. Due to the inherent properties of mycelium,
this material is a class A fire retardant and has a very low flame spread of 20.
Now, the disadvantages. It is not very strong. It has a compressive strength of just 18 psi
so it cannot be used as a structural material. It also has a short lifespan of 20 to 30 years.
It can’t be used as food storage containers, so it won’t replace styrofoam right now. Since
it is such a new technology, the few companies that produce these have patented the production
process which is a barrier to entry. The super low cost of plastic production
is unfortunately a huge deterrent to the future of this technology.
Plastic also offers a lot of advantages like long term water resistance and a long
lifespan. Molded pulp packaging, which has been around for 100 years, is another sustainable
competitor to mycelium packaging. But it is heavier, which can raise shipping costs.
Just with 3D printing, we’re being fed some pretty outrageous claims:
“Your next house could be made of mushrooms” “Mushrooms can save the world”
‘Build Space Homes out of Mushrooms”
“Why future homes could be made of living fungus”.
Building with living mycelium is a huge challenge. The substrate material like straw or hemp stalks
will decompose in time and reduce the structural integrity of the material.
A Cleveland architecture firm, Redhouse Architecture, is working on a biocycling
process. They want to demolish derelict homes, combine the waste with mycelium and create new
building materials. They believe it can be used for disaster relief housing and it could
also fix our housing shortage. Come on, let’s be realistic. Separating individual parts of a house
like the drywall, insulation, wood studs, concrete, plastic pipes, etc. is extremely time
and energy intensive. We can’t just pulverize old homes and turn them into new ones.
The plastic industry has been complacent for too long and has avoided setting up an extensive
recycling network. I hope competition will force them to be more responsible. Leave me a comment
below with your thoughts on mushroom packaging and other mycelium based products. Do you think
it can replace plastic? I’ll link my Patreon page in the description. If you can support me,
I’d really appreciate it. A big thank you to everyone already supporting me. Don’t
forget to hit the like button and subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching. See ya.